In an interesting mix of fashion and technology, an Egyptian designer has made a dress that can help travellers explore Egypt’s ancient sites through a QR code.
The wearer of dresses made by Alaa Ahmed El-Sheishtawy can scan the QR code, which will take them to an application that offers important information like addresses, operating times, and ticket prices of various tourist attractions.
El-Sheishtawy told SABC News, “There is also information on the artefacts available at each site which tourists can use to learn about what they are seeing especially if they don’t have a guide with them.” She believes that her dresses, originally designed as part of her college project, will promote Egypt’s tourism.
The designer has embroidered the QR code on the sleeve of a dress in such a way that it blends seamlessly with the design without looking odd. The application is available in three languages.
An Egyptian designer has created a smart dress that has its own QR code which shows information about Egypt’s top tourist attractions pic.twitter.com/bXJaWVB4BJ
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 24, 2022
El-Sheishtawy hopes to get funding for her brand ‘Pharose’ so that it can be launched commercially. Her designs seek inspiration from Egypt’s pharaonic culture. In future, she hopes to expand her brand to include clothes for men and children.
In recent years, the fashion industry has been increasingly adding tech elements to its products. Wireless earbuds made by fashion house Louis Vuitton and audio brand Master & Dynamic, a smart backpack from Google and Yves Saint Laurent, and smart glasses by Ray-Ban and Meta are some of the products.